Fortuna c. mid 16th century

This gilded figure depicts Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fortune, her iconography rooted in ancient hopes and anxieties about chance. She stands on turbulent waves, a visual metaphor for the unpredictable nature of fate. The parasol she raises above her head and the snake she is grabbing are ancient symbols that have journeyed across cultures, representing protection and either deception or healing. Consider how such symbols recur and transform. The snake, for instance, has been associated with both wisdom and chaos, embodying the duality of human experience. This ambivalence, reflected in the goddess's stance amidst crashing waves, engages our collective memory, resonating with our deepest fears and aspirations. Fortuna, like the swirling waters beneath her feet, embodies the ceaseless flux of human affairs. From antiquity to our present day, the symbol of Fortune resurfaces in various forms, an emblem of our enduring quest to understand the forces that shape our destinies.